Ingredients
Scale
- 1 rack pork ribs (spare or baby back)
- 3/4 cup Morton’s coarse kosher salt
- 3/4 cup honey or hot honey
- 1 ½ teaspoon pink curing salt (Prague Powder No. 1)
- 3 cups hot water
- 3 cups cold water
- 8 whole cloves
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 cinnamon stick (optional)
- Cracked black pepper
- Butter + brown sugar (for wrapping)
Instructions
- Make the brine. Whisk the hot water with salt, curing salt, honey, cloves, and bay leaves until fully dissolved. Then add cold water and let it cool to room temperature.
- Prep the ribs. Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs. You can use a paper towel to grip and peel it off. Place the ribs in the cooled brine, fully submerged. Cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.
- Pat dry, season, and smoke. After the curing time, pull the ribs out of the brine and pat them dry with paper towels. No need to apply a BBQ rub — just crack some black pepper over the top. Set your smoker to 250°F. Smoke the ribs for 3-4 hours until they reach an internal temp of around 170°F.
- Wrap with butter & brown sugar. Wrap the ribs in heavy-duty aluminum foil with a few pads of unsalted butter and a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar. Return them to the smoker for 60-90 minutes until probe tender (200–205°F).
- Finish cooking & rest the ribs. When the ribs reach the target temperature, you can unwrap, flip over, and smoke for another 10 minutes if you want to set the bark (optional). Rest the ribs, wrapped up in the foil, for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
Notes
- Baby back or spare ribs both work great — baby backs will be a little leaner.
- Brine for longer if you want a deeper flavor. 24 hours is the minimum; 48 hours will give a saltier, sweeter flavor without overwhelming the pork.
- Don’t skip the rest. It’s the difference between juicy ribs and BBQ regret.
- Prep Time: 24 hours
- Cook Time: 5-6 hours
- Category: Pork
- Method: Smoking
- Cuisine: Ribs, BBQ, Appetizer
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 rack of ribs
- Calories: 593
- Sugar: 11.7 g
- Sodium: 422.3 mg
- Fat: 41.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 13.7 g
- Protein: 43.5 g
- Cholesterol: 166.6 mg
